1. Field of the Invention
My invention relates to geometric form and tone pattern aspects of a keyboard for a musical instrument, and to a new musical instrument employing my keyboard.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional keyboards for instruments such as pianos, accordions, organs, and the like include a linear series or row of white and black keys representing a progression of tones arranged left to right in an ascending order. The white keys correspond to the natural diatonic scale. The black keys represent the accidentals or sharps and flats.
Several disadvantages of the conventional keyboard are discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,342,094, granted Sept. 19, 1967, to Ervin M. Wilson. This patent presents a keyboard which is composed of a plurality of vertically extending rows of vertically elongated push-button type keys. As discussed in the patent, the keyboard disclosed by the patent was designed to overcome several of the disadvantages of the conventional keyboard. The patentee states that he has provided a keyboard in which: (1) the pitch span of a single hand is vastly increased, so that octaves, tenths and the like are easily played by a musician even with physically small hands; (2) the position of the various keys of the keyboard is such that they will fall under the more natural physiological positions of a player's fingers when his fingers and hands are in a relaxed position; and (3) the placement and fingering on the keys is identical when transposing a tune from one tonic to a different tonic.
It is an object of my invention to overcome these same disadvantages of a conventional keyboard. My keyboard is also better adapted to the human hand and fingers and the placement of the fingers on the keys is identical when transposing a tune from one key to a different key. However, it is with these common objectives that any close similarity between my keyboard and the keyboard disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 3,342,094 stops.
My keyboard is particularly well adapted for use with tone generating equipment of the type found in "synthesizers". However, the tone generating apparatus is not a part of my invention. For this reason, and also because the technology involved is both well developed and readily available I have omitted disclosing any particular type of tone generating equipment. Examples of readily available publications which disclose tone generators in considerable depth are: Electronic Musical Instruments, Third Edition, by Richard A. Dorf, Mahony & Roese, Inc., 67- 31316 (1968); and The Electrical Reproduction of Music, by Alan Douglas, Philosophical Library, J. Y. (1957).
The following additional patents, relating to keyboards for musical instruments (and some also disclosing tone generating equipment), should be consulted for the purpose of properly evaluating the subject invention and putting it into proper perspective: U.S. Pat. No. 2,250,522, granted July 29, 1941, to Saturnino T. Bonilla; U.S. Pat. No. 3,012,460, granted Dec. 12, 1961 to Ervin M. Wilson; U.S. Pat. No. 3,067,645, granted Dec. 11, 1962, to Mario Moschino; U.S. Pat. No. 3,417,648, granted Dec. 24, 1968 to Arnold Honig and U.S. Pat. No. 3,468,209, granted Sept. 23, 1969 to Clodovo G. G. Barreto.